Composition of the Hawaiian Monk Seal Population at Kure Atoll, 1990

摘要

Population recovery-related management actions have beentaken to rebuild the endangered Hawaiian monk seal (Monachus schauinslandiMatschie) colony at Kure Atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands since1981. In 1990, composition of the Kure population was determined by a combinationof methods to identify all seals using the atoll. The resident 1990 populationincluded 75 seals, and an increasing trend in the mean annual beach count ofseals over the last decade is apparent. Two major changes have occurred in thepopulation since 1985. A shift in the adult sex ratio (males/females), from 2.7: 1to 0.8: 1, has developed and appears to be due to both adult male losses andincreased recruitment of females. Also, the declining trend in births apparentbetween 1981 and 1986 has been reversed. These findings suggest cause foroptimism for the continued growth of this population.